Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

Today, we had about a 5 1/2–hour bus ride from Lecce on the Adriatic Coast to the Bay of Naples on the Mediterrean Coast. We are now in the Campania Region of Italy. The photo is of Mt. Vesuvius.

Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

Naples

We passed by Naples on the highway to Sorrento. This view of Naples was not very appealing. We started seeing more laundry being dried on balconies (I don’t think that we saw as much on our first two days as it was somewhat rainy). It is a sight a bit hard to get used to and I was surprised by it––one of the pecularities of Italian life (at least, we see it that way). Paola told us that it is a healthier way to dry clothes (and also that the apartments usually are too small to have dryers––we also did not see laundromats, just laundries that charge a small fortune to wash and dry clothes for you). He also told us that in September, when the grapes are picked, that the grapes join the clothes are the balconies.

Naples

Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

Another view of Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.

Mt. Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

Road to Sorrento

The road from Naples to Sorrento is on a cliff.

Road to Sorrento

Sorrento

View of Sorrento from the cliff. Sorrento is a major tourist destination and the gateway to the Isle of Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

Sorrento

Sorrento

In Sorrento, some of the “city trees” are orange trees. This is a citrus growing area. Not a good photo as it was taken from the bus but I thought it was an interesting sight.

Sorrento

Our Hotel

Our first stop in Sorrento was our hotel––the Conca Park. It was a very nice hotel, BUT the walk UP this long corridor from where the bus dropped us off was not a welcome event, especially carrying hand luggage (some of us did get a ride up it in a small shuttle).

Our Hotel

La Sorgente

We could spend some free time in Sorrento or go on an optional tour entitled Mozzarella Party, Light Lunch and the Amalfi Drive. I went on the optional tour. We went to La Sorgente, located in the hills above Sorrento, for our mozzarella party and light lunch.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

La Sorgente is an agricultural farm where lemons, oranges, olives, and grapes are grown, some of which you can see in the photo. What is most interesting here is that all these crops are being grown on a hillside.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

We were given a tour of their wine and olive oil presses. They make their wine and olive oil the old–fashioned way. The large wheel in the photo is part of their olive press. They told us that the best olive oil to buy is extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed (we all knew this already as Paola had already explained this to us). The first press of the olives makes the extra virgin olive oil. If it is cold–pressed when doing this, then all the vitamins and other important healthy things remain in the oil.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

Their wine press. They told us that they do not use their feet when pressing their wine.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

Next, we were given a demonstration of how mozzerella cheese is made––they make it the old–fashioned way. First, they start out with milk (I don’t know if they use buffalo milk or cow’s milk). The milk is heated and the curds are collected and made into balls of mozzerella cheese. Ricotta cheese is made from the whey drained off when making mozzerella cheese. Don’t quote me on this process: there could be a couple of steps I missed in this. You can see the mozzerella cheese which was just made in one bowl in this photo and the ricotta cheese in another bowl.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

We next followed this path to have our “light lunch.” There was nothing light about this lunch and we started to wonder what an Italian regular lunch would consist of. First, we were served an antipasto of freshly picked tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, freshly baked Italian bread, olives from the farm, and beans. Then pasta––as much as you wanted. For desert, ricotta cake (delicious––it may have had cognac in it). The wine from the farm was freely poured. It was one of the best meals that we had in Italy.

La Sorgente

La Sorgente

Well fortified, we left to go back to our Trafalgar bus. We passed this interesting house on the way to the bus.

La Sorgente

Amalfi Drive

We left Sorrento to go on the Amalfi Drive. Maybe it was a good idea to serve us free wine for lunch. The Amalfi Drive is along the Amalfi Coast, which extends from Sorrento to Salerno. The road goes from one hairpin turn to another one––switchbacks all the way––as it snakes along very steep cliffs. This photo is of a view along the Amalfi Drive.

Amalfi Drive

Amalfi Drive

View from the Amalfi Drive through some wildflowers.

Amalfi Drive

Amalfi Drive

A photo of the road that we were on. I asked one of our tour members, Ben, who had driven several times down Highway 1 through Big Sur which road ––Highway 1 or the Amalfi Drive––would be the worst to drive on. He said the Amalfi Drive, easily, but that at least the Amalfi Drive has a stone wall barrier to keep you from tumbling into the water, whereas on Highway 1, you are totally on your own.

Amalfi Drive

The Amalfi Coast

View of the Amalfi Coast. You can make out some of the villages on the cliffs.

The Amalfi Coast

Positano

We stopped on the cliff above Positano. Our bus was not allowed to go further as the road is so narrow in places that if we met another bus on the road neither bus would be able to proceed.

Positano

Positano

Fruit stand on top of the cliff above Positano.

Positano

Amalfi Coast

View of the Amalfi Coast from the cliff above Positano.

Amalfi Coast

Positano

View of Positano from the cliff. Positano is a major upscale tourist destination. Britt and Chris stayed there last year and greatly liked it. Some of our tour members were also going to go there after our tour was over.

Positano

Positano

A close–up view of the beach at Positano.

Positano

Positano

Close–up view of some of the villas and hotels in Positano.

Positano

Positano

Another close–up view of some of the villas and hotels in Positano. Our bus turned around and took us back to Sorrento. What a great afternoon we had. Dinner was at our hotel.

Positano